LONDON – Manchester United handed Watford its first loss of the new Premier League season on Saturday, coming away with a 2-1 victory thanks to the outstanding play of Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea.

The hosts were in control of the game in the early going at Vicarage Road and nearly opened the scoring on a blast by Troy Deeney that De Gea managed to save.

The Red Devils, however, responded emphatically to grab a 2-0 lead at halftime thanks to goals by Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling in the 35th minute and 38th minute, respectively.

Watford faced an uphill battle in trying to rally against Jose Mourinho’s men but nearly pulled it off, with Andre Gray scoring in the 65th minute and De Gea coming up with a remarkable save to deny a header by Christian Kabasele in second-half stoppage time.

Despite the home loss, Watford (4-0-1) is still in fourth place in the Premier League with 12 points after five matches, just three behind first-place Chelsea.

Matchday 5 action in the Premier League will continue with games pitting the Wolverhampton Wanderers against Burnley and Everton against West Ham United on Sunday and Southampton against Brighton on Monday.

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